


Like a streak of light, I find you again

by waterparkjunheepark



Category: A.C.E (Beat Interactive Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, Gen, Happy Birthday Junhee, Kinda, Past Lives, Self-Indulgent, and idk why but i got carried away with bali's life, and you can't convince me otherwise, bali is mac's father, seriously why aren't they a tag yet, this was supposed to be only about junhee and yuchan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:47:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24504112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waterparkjunheepark/pseuds/waterparkjunheepark
Summary: Park Junhee was always destined to be on the stage.Alternatively,Park Junhee and Kang Yuchan's connection goes a long way back.
Relationships: Kang Yuchan | Chan & Park Junhee | Jun
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	Like a streak of light, I find you again

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language
> 
> (also, first work. yay?)
> 
> Edit: I fixed the spacing between the paragraphs

“Father,” a young boy's voice is heard. The room that the child is in is dark, lit by several lamps and candles, and the smell of old books and paper is prominent all throughout. A man's figure can be made out sitting in front of a desk, signing a stack of papers.

“What, boy? I don't have time for your silly games.” The man, presumably the boy's father, says harshly. His voice is deep, rough like the bark of an old tree. The child takes a shaky, staggering breath, biting his lip.

“I wish to dance,” the boy tells his father, hesitating before adding, “as a performer, I mean.”

“No, Bali. And we will not speak of this again.”

The boy's shoulders fall, dismayed. “Yes, Father."

He retreats to his room without another word. 

...

A few years pass, yet the boy's interest in performing never fades. He is having a dinner with his parents when he tells them.

“Mother,” the boy speaks out in the silence of their dinner.

His mother is a fair lady, elegant, regal, proper, and modest in one body. Even with her age, one could tell that she was a beauty with a force to be reckoned with.

“Yes, Bali dear?” the boy's mother questions curiously with a gentle smile painted upon her lips. She reaches for her drink and lifts it to her mouth.

“I wish to become a performer.”

The missus' smile drops and she places her cup down. She blinks for a few times, trying to lift a confused smile to her red lips, “I'm sorry, dear, I must have heard wrong. Would you mind to repeat your statement?”

“I would like to become a performer, mother." The boy repeats to his mother.

His mother opens her mouth to say something, only to close it again, at a loss of words. Her face is a mixture of discomfort and confusion, brows furrowed and lips pulled into an awkward grimace.

“Bali, I'm afraid that your... wish can not be. Our family has come from a long way of nobles and aristocrats, and your want would taint out reputation,” the mistress of the house explains to the boy, unimpressed with his choice of dreams.

The boy lowers his head and continues on eating.

“Yes, Mother.”

... 

The boy tries to forget about dancing, about soaring, yet he fails. Every night, he climbs down from his bed, dancing and _living_ quietly for hours in the dead of the night, only accompanied by the light flickers of his most beloved lamp.

This continues for many years.

... 

Bali is dancing once again, in the middle of the night, when his door slams open. It reveals his father, who is fuming in anger, practically turning red in his fury.

“You better keep your mouth shut about this obsession of yours, boy, or you'll be seeing yourself in the streets, removed of your relations with this family.” His father hisses, turning back and shutting the door with a bang.

Bali cries.

... 

Bali is scared, but he continues dancing, he perseveres and forgets about everything.

... 

The boy becomes an adult, and his parents start giving him more responsibilities as the son of a prestigious family.

The people expect a lot from Bali, and he escapes from life as a nobleman. 

... 

“Are you looking for a performer in this circus?”

...

Bali grows in the circus, grows with his passion by his side. He is not afraid to say that he is a talented dancer and singer, even when compared to more experienced performer. His heart swells with the pure joy and happiness of being able to do what he loves the most, and being able to make his audience happy with his performance. Bali is content.

He meets another performer named Droy.

_Droy is very handsome,_ Bali thinks. Droy was a great performer, with a great personality, beautiful face, extraordinary skills, and bright grins.

Bali couldn't do anything but fall in love.

...

He and Droy go out in secret, because for all the riches and breakthroughs of their society, they couldn't accept a couple with the same gender.

Bali is happy, happier than when he first set foot on the stage, with the audience cheering with loud yells and sharp whistles.

Bali leans his head on Droy's shoulder, legs swinging from underneath his seat, as he looks out into the night sky.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.

... 

Bali's father is towering over him, face gloomy and dark, old-looking yet everything that Bali is afraid of. He meets his father's eyes and cowers inside.

“You better have prepared for this day, boy,” his father growls deeply. Bali's mother is beside his father, expressionless but eyes so red and puffy that even all the powder that was caked on her face couldn't hide it.

“You are no longer any son of mine, or a member of this family.”

Bali feels heavy and light all at the same time. Bali feels burdened by the fact that he made his mother cry, his sweet, lovely, kind mother who didn't deserve a son like him. But Bali is free, Bali can now follow his dream.

Bali refuses to shed tears for his loss of family, because Bali is now free.

... 

Droy leaves Bali for a woman of the higher class, and tells the world of what a vile creature that Bali was, tricking Droy into having a relationship with him.

He grieves for his broken heart. 

...

He continues living, pouring all of his heart into his performances, the only thing that made him happy.

Bali's heart heals. 

...

Bali loves again, but he will never quite recover from the wounds that Droy's betrayal had left. He falls for a woman, a seamstress, who is kind, beautiful, pleasant, and who loves him like he loves her.

They grow old together, him in the stage, dancing for both his passion and his newfound love, and her in the audience, with adoration and love pouring out from her glassy eyes, and Bali makes a choice.

...

“Go,” Bali's mother tells him after one of his performances. Her eyes are puffy and red, like the time that his father disowned him. “I give you my blessing to marry her.”

"Go somewhere far, far away where your father cannot find you. Remember that I love you, always and forever.”

Bali's eyes water, his lips tremble, and a sob makes its way out of his throat. He gathers his mother into one last tight embrace before crying in her arms.

...

Bali leaves the circus to settle down with his wife.

They make a home in a very remote village, far, far away from other people and nobles, in a small house with fields all around them ready to be planted upon, where they live peacefully without worries, their joined savings being used for their expenses.

They have a child, a son, and they name him Mac. 

...

The babe's cry rings throughout Bali's house yet again, and Bali feels a rush of happiness in his chest.

He goes to the babe to check up on him, and when he finds none of an anomaly, he picks the child up with his arms and presses the babe to his chest, rocking him back and forth while humming a tune that his mother used to sing to him all those years ago.

“Bhleurgh.”

Bali looks at his son incredulously, not quite believing the sound that came from the child's tiny body. He smiles fondly and kisses the child's forehead.

He looks at his son and only sees a ray of sunshine.

His wife comes through the door, only to pause at the image of the father and son. She smiles warmly and goes over to the two. 

...

“Father!”

Bali turns around to see his son, Mac, run towards him with another boy in tow. He stops his work of plowing the fields to open his arms for his son to run to. Mac's small body slams into him and knocks all the air from his lungs as he lets out a small _'oof!'_ which can only be defined as a sound of surprise. The little boy detaches himself from his father, grin as bright as the sun attached to his face. He reaches for his friend and holds his hand.

“This is Fabio,” the boy introduces. “He's my friend. I met him over there earlier, and we played for a _loooong_ time,” he says, getsuring wildly to where there was a piece of land covered in grasses with a figure of a woman -most likely the boy's mother- could be seen. Mac's friend looks to be around his age, with sad eyes and a tall nose, who will most likely grow up to be a handsome man.

The boy -Fabio, Bali corrects- looks at Bali shyly, squirming under his gaze. It takes Bali a few moments to remember that he actually looks intimidating when expressionless before he schools his face to a friendly expression.

“Hello there,” Bali greets the child, bending to his height, “my name is Bali, Mac's father.”

“Hello,” Fabio returns under his breath, looking down still.

Bali looks at the two children, his son who is practically beaming, and the other looking particularly slightly uncomfortable in Bali's presence, and smiles fondly.

“Why don't you two go over there and play some more, hm? I still have to finish plowing this field before the sun reaches its peak.“ Bali tells the children, giving them the time to have fun before they have to eat for lunchtime.

Mac nods eagerly, his hair wildly bobbing up and down. “Okay!”

Fabio manages to give a strained smile to Bali before they turn around to run through the vast nature.

Bali continues his work.

... 

Bali smiles as he watches his son play under the sun, swinging around sticks as a weapon against his 'enemies'. He can hear his wife humming a tune from their house, most probably embrodering on another handkerchief of hers. Mac is happily playing in the grass, his laughter tinkling in the afternoon heat.

Bali feels at peace.

...

He is ill.

He is ill and his frail, weak, old body can't fight his sickness.

He looks over to his family.

His wife is crying, with her hand holding his, and sobbing into a handkerchief. Mac is standing, confused as to what was happening. However, he is but a child, so young and innocent, and seeing his mother cry makes tears pool in his eyes.

Bali's heart clenches in pain. _He didn't even get the chance to see Mac grow_. He curls his lips into a smile, but his eyes drip salty tears. He feels his consciousness drift, his body go cold.

“Take care,” he whispers, “I love you both.”

His wife takes Mac's head into her hand and presses a kiss to his forehead. 

... 

Bali dies, and Park Junhee is born in another time.

...

Park Junhee stares at the television in wonder and amazement, enamoured by the performance of an idol called Rain.

... 

“Dad, I want to become a singer.”

...

He auditions at a company, and becomes a trainee.

...

Junhee moves to Seoul, chasing his dream of becoming an idol. There, he faces many hardships, the desperation of being able to perform on the stage, the desperation to quickly debut and start his journey in making others happy with his performances.

He almost debuts three times, but doesn't quite make it.

He quits from the company, and joins a dance studio instead. 

...

Junhee feels empty, with the feeling of being inadequate weighing him down, the ache of practicing endlessly day after day slowing his movements, but he doesn't give up. He knows that he wants to be in that stage, and the fire of his determination blazes and burns even brighter.

Junhee gets up one more time. 

... 

“Junhee!” A familiar voice calls out. Junhee pauses in his routine of packing his back and turns his head to the direction of the voice. He sees two of his friends, Donghun and Sehyoon, with two boys behind them. They're walking towards him, so he shoves his things in his bag and quickly stands up.

“Hun, Sehyoon.” Junhee greets his friends and bows a little to the boys behind the two. The lost-looking boys bow hurriedly, making Junhee chuckle in amusement in his mind.

“These are Byeongkwan and Yuchan,” Donghun introduces, placing his hands on the shoulders of the person he was talking about. “They're our juniors.”

“Oh?” Junhee asks, teasingly tilting his head to the side. “Last time I checked the great Donghun didn't like making friends with 'people looking like they were lost in the world'.”

“Hey!” Donghun argues, “It wasn't me! It was Sehyoon! He saw them looking lost and took pity on them and I just happened to be there and take pity on him when he didn't know how to communicate with these two!”

“No, you said that they looked like confused puppies so you offered to help them with me,” Sehyoon states blankly, staring at Donghun.

Donghun makes a face. “Details, details.”

Junhee's lips curl into an amused smile with his friends' antics. He shifts his gaze to the two boys in front of him, both looking so bright and innocent that it makes Junhee want to protect them from everything that may bring harm to the two.

Junhee's gaze locks on the boy that Donghun called Yuchan.

Junhee doesn't know why, but his eyes start to fill with tears and his throat blocks itself.

“Junhee, are you crying?” Donghun's voice snaps him out of whatever daze he was put in, and Junhee blinks to clear the tears from his eyes.

“Huh?” Junhee mutters unintelligibly.

“He _was_ going to cry.” Sehyoon agrees.

“Is he always this emotional when meeting other people?” Junhee hears the kid named Byeongkwan whisper to Yuchan.

“I don't know, man, I also just met him.” Yuchan replies.

Junhee waves them off, telling them that he just remembered the drama he was watching last night and that they shoulldn't worry.

Junhee says goodbye and wonders about the boy that he felt such a deep connection to.

...

A.C.E has finally debuted. Junhee cries with Donghun after their first performance, Sehyoon grins with glassy eyes, and Byeongkwan and Yuchan scream their heads off in joy. Junhee rakes his eyes over his friends, heart pounding with the pure happiness of being in the company of his closest friend in the best moment of his life.

...

Being a leader means that Junhee is the one who his members come to when they have problems, means that Junhee is the pillar and the shield of his group, protecting them from everything. Junhee knows this, and he is ready to take care of his friends, his _family_.

... 

They're all collected in their practice room, huffing and puffing from their dance routines. Junhee sees Byeongkwan stand up again from where he's laying down, ready to go over his dancing and possibly make more moves. Sehyoon follows their smallest and practices with him. Yuchan is grinning brightly like always, like the ray of sunshine he is. The boy never seems to run out of energy.

Donghun sees the lack of exhaustion in the others and rolls his eyes.

“Kids and their never-ending excitement in the world.”

Junhee only laughs at Donghun.

... 

There are sounds of rustling and footsteps near Junhee's bed. He opens his eyes and makes out a familiar silhouette.

“Chan..?” Junhee mutters while sitting up. “What's wrong?” He turns on the lamp beside his bed, mentally apologizing to Byeongkwan when he grumbles and pulls his blanket over his head.

“Hyung...” Yuchan whispers, looking down at his feet. Junhee scoots over and lifts the covers in an effort of encouraging Yuchan to slip under them. The youngest does, and buries his head in Junhee's chest the moment he reaches him. Junhee feels his shirt becoming damp.

_Oh,_ Junhee thinks, _he's crying_.

He awkwardly puts his hand behind Yuchan's head and places his other hand on his back to guide him closer. Junhee hums a tune that he doesn't know but tumbles out of his throat, pressing a kiss on top of Yuchan's head.

Minutes pass and Yuchan's muffled hiccups and cries gradually fade, only coming out once in a while now. Junhee looks at the boy curled up to him and feels a surge of protectiveness engulf his entire body.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Junhe asks quietly. He feels Yuchan shake his head from his position by Junhee's chest.

Junhee runs his hand through the boy's hair and kisses it once again before reaching over to turn off the lamp.

“Okay.” Junhee wraps his arms around Yuchan and stares blankly at the wall opposite to him. He wonders why he has always felt something with Yuchan, something deep and feeling like parental, something ever stronger than his connection with the other members of his group.

_Was he my son in my past life or something?_ That is Junhee's last amused thought before succumbing to sleep.

... 

Their company decides to send them off to survival shows, where they can expand their fanbase through exposure. Donghun, Sehyoon, and Byeongkwan are sent off to _Mixnine_ while Junhee and Yuchan are sent off to _The Unit_.

Junhee worries briefly for his members, thinking if they would be okay on their own, but dismisses his thoughts. He's confident in their own capabilities, and Donghun can stand as a pseudo-leader for the two while they are away.

Junhee bids goodbye to his three friends as he and Yuchan are sent off to _The Unit_.

...

_Chan is nervous,_ Junhee notes. He's wringing his hands every-so-often and pacing back and forth. Junhee approaches the jumpy boy and takes his hands into his.

Junhee looks into Yuchan's eyes.

“It'll be okay,” he says, “everyone will love you.”

Yuchans visibly relaxes, eyes brightening at the same time as his lips curl into a smile.

“Thanks, hyung.” 

... 

Junhee watches as Yuchan grows and blooms in the new environment. He can't help but feel proud, thinking _that's my Chan-ie_ and _he's growing so well_.

Junhee watches from the other side of the screen, where he's seated beside new friends. The performance ends, and Yuchan and his teammates come striding through the door, covered in sweat and burning with passion. The mentors say a few thing about the team and they go to sit in their spots. Yuchan meets Junhee's gaze and smiles as bright as the sun.

He gives one back, one filled with pride, love, and wonder.

...

Junhee is eliminated from the line-up, ending on rank 21.

Yuchan is crying, and Junhee wants him to stop because if Yuchan is crying then Junhee will cry too and he can't afford to cry because who will comfort Yuchan if Junhee is busy crying?

Junhee grips Yuchan's shoulders.

“Look at me.” Junhee commands, briefly looking up in an effort to keep his tears at bay. Yuchan wipes his tears, still crying.

“It's okay. Just do your best until the end, really.” He lifts Yuchan's head to look at him and to wipe his tears, but Yuchan refuses and lowers it again. Junhee cradles Yuchan's cheek with his left hand and wipes the other's tears with his right.

“Hey, when else will we get such a chance to perform on such stage?” Junhee continues on wiping away Yuchan's tears. He bends his knees to look at the crying boy and rubs his thumb against Yuchan's cheek.

“Everything will be okay, I promise, Yuchan.” He tells the younger. He tucks him against his chest, a familiar position that grew on them both during all the times that Yuchan couldn't take the pressure anymore and broke down.

“I know that you can do it.”

They stand there for a few more moments, letting Yuchan regain his bearings and calm down. He finally lifts his head and gives a shaky grin.

“Okay,” Yuchan breathes, “okay, hyung. I can do it.”

Junhee smiles and presses his lips lightly on top of Yuchan's hair. “That's my boy.”

They part ways, Yuchan back to stage and Junhee to his seat with the other contestants.

...

He watches Yuchan on the stage with his heart beating loudly, hoping that Yuchan will make it to the top nine so that he could flourish there.

_ “Chan!”_

The crowd erupts into cheers, Yuchan is hugged and smothered by his fellow candidates, and Junhee feels proud tears prickle in his eyes before he hears the people around congratulate him for Yuchan's win.

Junhee feels so proud at that moment, falling into a daze, and only snaps out of it when he hears Yuchan yell “I love you, Jun-hyung!”

Junhee turns away from the camera to wipe at his tears.

... 

After over a year without Yuchan by their side, all of the A.C.E members gather to celebrate their union. They're broke, but it doesn't matter. They make do with a movie night and convenience store cup noodles, dragging all of their blankets and pillows from their beds to make a nest of fluff.

“Move over,” Junhee hears Donghun hiss to Byeongkwan, who is currently laying down with his limbs splayed out across all directions. Byeongkwan lets out a whine, but complies nonetheless.

He looks over to his left and sees Sehyoon there, all bundled up and trying to hide a rather large burger in his hands. Junhee chuckles quietly, figuring that he probably bought the burger without telling Donghun, who was with him in the convenience store.

Yuchan comes over from the kitchen, holding a humongous bowl of popcorn that he had just finished making. Yuchan settles next to Junhee, where he places the bowl of popcorn on top of the table in front of them.

“Can I play it now?” Byeongkwan asks impatiently, holding the remote towards the television. He plays the movie without waiting for a response, hurriedly diving into his corner with his plushies.

The movie starts, and the room falls into comfortable silence. However, only ten minutes later, they hear a crinkling sound, and Donghun's eyes snap to Sehyoon.

“Did you just really buy a burger? Again?” Donghun whispers sharply to Sehyoon, who tries to hide his burger underneath his blanket. His eyes are wide, jaws shut tightly and tense as a bowstring.

“...No?” Sehyoon tries telling Donghun. Byeongkwan and Yuchan crack up and start giggling, the latter hitting Junhee with his clapping hands. Junhee gasps, cradling the arm that Yuchan hit.

“Oh my fucking god, Sehyoon, I can't believe you.” Donghun runs his hands across his face and groans loudly. He sighs and waves a hand towards Sehyoon. “Go eat your burger. I'll let you go this time.”

Smiling widely, Sehyoon bites into his burger happily and turns back to the screen. Donghun mutters something along the lines of _“I can't believe this is my life”_ and _“why am I even surprised of course he'd buy burger"._

Junhee goes back to the movie playing and smiles secretively.

_ I wouldn't trade this for anything else. _

... 

While alone in his room, Junhee sometimes looks back to his memories with his group. He thinks about his friendship with the two older men in his group, about how far Donghun has come in his dancing, about how loud Sehyoon is now compared to when he didn't even speak in the presence of other people or a camera. He thinks about his two pseudo-sons, Byeongkwan and Yuchan, about how much confidence Byeongkwan now has, even rocking crop-tops without so much a care about gender stereotypes, about how much Yuchan has grown from the small boy that Sehyoon dragged along that day in the studio.

_I'm content,_ Junhee thinks, _I know that this isn't the end, and that we'll still face lots of challenges in the future, but I can take it. I can take it because they're here with me, ready to catch me if I ever happen to fall._

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted to let you know that this fic has been brewing in my head for months before i finally wrote it down. Also, that scene where they had a movie night and sehyoon ate his burger? that was not supposed to be there but i just put it in haha.
> 
> I'm still figuring out how to publish works in ao3 and how to properly write stories so i apologize for any mistakes. Constructive criticism is very much appreciated. 
> 
> The title is from Oneus' song Blue Sky.
> 
> Edit: so, I watched the videos again (because I can't get enough of junhee sleepdancing) and Droy wasn't a performer. Fml. So anyways, he's not a performer but I won't change anything here because I'm too attached to this fic.


End file.
